Lockdown is set to be eased – but only slightly

PM TO ANNOUNCE CHANGES TONIGHT

BORIS Johnson will proceed with “extreme caution” in easing the lockdown, a Cabinet minister has said, as he warned the public not to “throw away” their hard work by going outside.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it would be “absolutely tragic” if people damaged the success social distancing has had on tackling coronavirus by leaving home to enjoy the warm weather.

His warning came yesterday after police warned they are “fighting a losing battle” as Londoners headed to parks and beachgoers descended on Brighton’s pebbles.

The Prime Minister, above, announce only very modest changes in detailing his “road map” for easing the lockdown tonight, but there are concerns mixed messaging has prompted the public to head outside.

Mr Shapps said: “It’s vital that we don’t throw away essentially the great work of seven weeks of people respecting very impressively the rules and the guidelines by throwing it away because it happens to be sunny outside this weekend, that would be absolutely tragic.”

Speaking at yesterday’s Downing Street press conference, he said the Government would be proceeding with “an unbelievable degree of caution”.

“Extreme caution is actually the watchword on this,” Mr Shapps added, after figures suggested the overall death toll for the UK has passed 36,500.

His warning was echoed by deputy chief medical officer for England Professor Jonathan Vantam, who said the PM’S next steps will be “extremely cautious and extremely careful and extremely painstaking”.

Police in Hackney, east London, said that “sadly we’re fighting a losing battle in the parks today”, adding: “Literally hundreds of people sitting having pizza, beers, wines.”

Earlier, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said the PM’S announcement for England would

is

expected

to be “very much in line” with the “very smallest” easing granted in his nation.

He said the transmission rate of the virus allowed only a “very modest” easing to permit more than one form of exercise per day, and for garden centres and libraries to reopen.

Schools in Wales would not be reopening to the majority of pupils in June, he added.

Mr Shapps said the four nations “have actually largely moved in lockstep”, dismissing concerns of a rift in the Uk-wide response to Covid-19.

The apparent rise in people going outside came after warnings against sending out “mixed messages” with national newspaper reports suggesting sunbathing and picnics could be permitted as early as tomorrow.

But Mr Shapps dismissed allegations the Government’s messaging strategy was confusing, saying: “I think that most people are more than capable of understanding what is meant.”

The Transport Secretary did not dismiss suggestions that the Government had told the airline industry of plans to impose a 14-day quarantine on people arriving from any country apart from the Republic of Ireland.

He declined to address widespread calls for clarity, with it unclear whether the rule would also apply to passengers arriving by boat and whether businesses would receive extra support because of fears the measure would be disastrous for industry.

In other developments, the government failed to meet its own 100,000 tests per day target for the seventh day in a row, saying there were 96,878 in the 24 hours up to 9am yesterday.

The Department of Health said the number of people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus increased by 346, meaning official figures suggest the overall death toll for the UK has now passed 36,500.

Ten more people have died in North East hospitals after contracting coronavirus.

Northumbria reported the most fatalities with fou,r while there were three in County Durham and Darlington, two in South Tyneside and Sunderland and one in Newcastle.

It’s vital we don’t throw away essentially the great work of seven weeks of people respecting very impressively the rules and guidelines... because it happens to be sunny outside this weekend

GRANT SHAPPS